Ondo deploys 600 V-Ps to classrooms

BY DAYO JOHNSON
AKURE — OVER 600 Vice Principals in Secondary Schools in Ondo State are to return to the classrooms as teachers.
This is part of the state re-articulation policy. This came as the state government awarded contracts for the construction of additional four mega primary schools in the state at a cost of N867 million.

Addressing newsmen after the state’s weekly Executive Council meeting, Information Commissioner, Ranti Akerele, said council deliberated and considered the “work plan developed by a committee it set up on the re-articulation of secondary schools in the state in view of the correlation between staff vacancies at the Teaching Service Commission and disarticulation ofschools.

The data on the Principals and Vice Principalswere analyzed to determine the number that will revert back to the classroom as a result of the exercise and over 600 Vice Principals will revert back to the classrooms to reduce the teaching staff vacancies in Teaching Service Commission, TESCOM, from 962 to 337.

“It should however be noted that the posting of Principals and Vice Principals would be based strictly on merit while it is expected that the exercise would be completed by August 2011 so that all schools in the state would have reverted to their old status by the beginning of the 2011/2012 session.”

On contract for the construction of Mega Schools, the Commissioner said they would be built in Ondo, Ile-Oluji, Araromi-Obu and Oke-Ijebu in Akure.

According to the commissioner, the projects would be financed by the private developer, Step Development Limited and that the fund would be refunded in three tranches after completion.

He said: “A policy thrust of this administration is the provision of free and qualitative education for the citizenry, especially children of primary school age through massive investment in the building of 21st century compliant schools in addition to restoration and expansion of existing structures in schools. Each of the schools, which will have 21 classrooms, state-of-the-art equipment and accommodate 525 pupils, shall be completed within eight months.”

On a new guideline for the operation of private schools in the state, Akerele “It is worrisome that the present trend of all comers to the sector has encouraged proliferation of schools which if not checked, will lead to a total decline in the standard of education in the state. Government has also interfaced with stakeholders on this matter and consequently, Council has approved the new guidelines for establishment and operations of private schools and the new regime of fees payable by the proprietors. The new fees regime took into consideration certain criteria to grade the schools.”